


The Doctor's Adopted Daughter

by Multi_Fandom



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: AU, Other, Parent AU, Parent Doctor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-20
Updated: 2014-07-20
Packaged: 2018-02-09 17:02:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1990740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multi_Fandom/pseuds/Multi_Fandom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another TARDIS crashes with the Doctor's TARDIS while he's mourning the loss of Rose Tyler, carrying an injured nanny and an infant Time Lady. The subsequent adventures are slightly modified.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meet Maxi

**Author's Note:**

> This started as just a little thing, I was thinking about how the Doctor said he wasn't a father anymore and what would happen if he was a father again and it just kind of built from there.

            The Doctor sat cross-legged on his bed with his head in his hands. A single tear rolled down his cheek. Reaching his chin, it dripped down and landed on the bedspread.

The Daleks had once again taken everything he cared about, this time with the help of the Cybermen. Rose was gone forever. There was no way around it.

            He hadn't had time to properly mourn her. First, he had the crack between the universes that he could exploit to say good-bye. Then there was the Donna Noble fiasco. But now he had nothing to distract his mind and it all came crashing in at once.

            His hearts ached. This new loss just reminded him of all the other losses he had tried so hard to forget. The walls he had built in his mind around his memories came crashing down and all he could do was sit there and squeeze his eyes shut, keeping more tears from falling.

            Faces, places, voices all flashed through his mind. One by one, he saw the faces of his past companions. Each one sent a flash of pain through his hearts. He once again saw the burning orange skies of Gallifrey, the rolling hills of red grass, the mountains, the silver trees. He heard the birds chirping, a sound that was once so familiar that was now so foreign. The memories were so strong, he could smell the grass, feel the wind. His mother, his father, brothers, sisters, best friend, cousins, his entire family, gone.

            The quietest of groans rumbled from deep inside his chest. His eyes flew open at the unexpected sound. Once it had been released, however, more followed. A quiet moan escaped his throat; his eyes fell shut again as he fought against the emotions that circled around in him like a hurricane.

            With a cry, he lost. He fell sideways, his head landing near the foot of his bed. He covered his face with his arms. Tears flowed down from his eyes in a continuous stream. His body shuddered from the force of his sobs.

            The TARDIS registered the change in his mental state and the soft voice of the Ave Maria began playing from the speakers installed around the room. He cried through the entire song and the TARDIS, recognizing that Mozart hadn't helped, changed tactics.

            His sobs froze in his throat as a new song filled the room. It echoed through his mind, through his very being and calmed him to his core. Another memory surfaced, of him on his mother's lap, the sound of her double heartbeat in his ears.

            Her soft hand gently stroked his hair and she sang a song to him, the same song that was being played right now. It had the same effect then as it had now. He stopped crying.

            "Thanks, old girl." The Doctor said aloud to the TARDIS. He sniffed and whipped the tears off his cheeks. "I needed that." He stood up and shook himself. He had grown stiff while he was crying.

            'Doctor.' The TARDIS spoke inside his head.

            "What?" He twisted, cracking his back.

            ‘Incoming.’The Doctor froze. There was a huge crash. The entire TARDIS shook from the impact. He was knocked off his feet and fell to the side.

            “Thanks for the warning.” He said through gritted teeth as he pushed himself up. He ran out of his room. The TARDIS shifted the order of rooms so he found the collision point immediately. He stopped in his tracks because what he saw was impossible.

            “What?” He heard himself ask. His mind struggled to comprehend what had collided with his TARDIS. It looked like…another TARDIS.

“What?” He repeated in disbelief as something climbed out of the rubble from the second TARDIS. The Doctor saw that a female…Time Lord had been the occupant of the now destroyed other-TARDIS. She was clutching something to her chest.

His TARDIS spoke to him, shocking him out of his daze. ‘Doctor, you should help her.’

“Right.” He shook his head. “Ok.” The Time Lady looked around. She seemed as shocked as he was. He stepped forward and caught her just as she fell forward. She looked up at him.

“Time Lord?” Her question was barely audible.

“Yes. I’m the Doctor. Who are you?” The Doctor helped her stand. Once she had regained her balance he let go of her. He pulled his sonic screwdriver from inside his jacket and scanned her over. The readings confirmed it. She _was_ a Time Lady.

“I’m no one important. Just a care-taker.”

“Are you alright?” She pitched forward again. Before she could hit the floor, he caught her once more.

“No, Doctor. I’m dying. I have no regenerations left.” The bundle in her arms squirmed. He cocked an eyebrow at her. She thrust it into his arms just before she fell over backwards.

“Oh, no. No, no, no, no.” He knelt next to her and looked down into her eyes.

“Doctor.” She whispered. “Take care of her.” A small wave of her hand was the only indication that she meant the bundle in his arms. He glanced at it and saw a baby Time Lady. “I call her Maxima, Maxi for short.”

“Miracle worker.” The Doctor breathed. The dying Time Lady nodded.

“Promise me you’ll take care of her.”

“Of course. But how did you survive the Time War?”

The lady inhaled sharply. “I was instructed to hide her. I was already old and dying. I couldn’t’t have helped with the war.”

“How is she still an infant?” He asked.

“I had my TARDIS freeze time inside it until it detected the presence of another after the war. You are the first one.” She dissolved into a coughing fit. A few drops of blood leaked out of her mouth.

“I’m the only one.” The Doctor told her. Her eyes widened.

“Then it is all the more vital that Maxi be raised as a Time Lady, knowing her heritage.” Her voice was raspy and fading quickly. “Doctor, you must teach her. Please. The Time Lords cannot die.” She grabbed his free hand with both of hers and squeezed as tight as she could.

“I will.” He nodded and squeezed her hand in return. “I promise.”

A grateful smile tugged at the corner of the Maid’s lips. “Thank you.” Then her eyelids dropped. Her hands went limp and fell to the ground. A small sigh escaped her and she breathed no more.

“TARDIS, land on the nearest planet. I’ll give her a funeral, fix you up and buy a few supplies.”

‘Of course, Doctor. Don’t forget formula.’

“I’m not going to forget formula. I do know how to take care of a child.”

‘I know.’ The Doctor shook his head. Maybe, just maybe, this child would be what pulled him through this. She might be the thing that forced him to move on past Rose. He had survived companions leaving before. He could do it again.


	2. Maxi's First Nightmare

**Four years later...**

            "Daddy?" A little voice echoed throughout the TARDIS. "Where are you?" Maxi called.

            "I'm in the control room, Maxi." The Doctor called back. He heard her footsteps adjust their course. He turned around as she entered the room. A smile came to his face.

            Maxi was a little small for her age but she was only four. Her blue pajama top had a monkey's face plastered on the front and the matching bottoms had bananas scattered across them. She had a teddy bear clutched to her chest and her red hair was in a tangled mess. Her brown eyes flecked with gold were fogged with sleep.

            She walked over to him. He bent down and picked her up.

            "What are you doing up, little Lady?" He turned back to the console as he spoke.

            Maxi didn't respond. She watched him push a few buttons in a daze.

            "Maxi?" The Doctor poked her belly, startling her back to reality. She turned her head to look at him. He grew concerned when he saw tears swimming in her eyes with a flash of fear underneath.

            "Are you alright? What's wrong?" The concern was evident in his voice.

            "I had a bad dream." She said quietly. A few of the tears spilled over. The Doctor wiped them away with one hand.

            "What was the dream?" He asked her.

            She shook her head and pressed her face into his shoulder.

            "Come on, you can tell me. What was the dream?" He rubbed her back. "Maxi, please?"

            She reluctantly sat up in his arms.

            "We were running down a hall. I don't know where. You had your screwdriver out and kept looking behind us." She squeezed her teddy bear and fell silent.

            "What happened next?" Maxi took a deep breath and continued.

            "We got to a door that was locked. You got it open with your screwdriver and we were going to run but then a metal thing that looked like a trashcan with a plunger and two telescopes coming out the front came around the corner."

            The Doctor's eyes widened: a Dalek. "You're sure that's what it looked like, yeah?" Maxi nodded. He grimaced.

            She continued. "The trashcan-thing said 'The Doctor must be...EXTERMINATED!'" Maxi did an incredible impression of a Dalek. "Then there was a flash of light and..." Her voice trailed away.

            "Oh, dear." She pressed her face into his shoulder again. He stroked her hair as she began crying. "It's alright. Shhh, shhh. It wasn't real. It was only a dream." His words weren't helping so he switched tactics.

            He began humming, softly at first and steadily growing in volume. It was an old song; so old no one remembered when it was written. It was the same song his mother sang to him as a child. The same song the TARDIS played for him on that day four years ago. Its hauntingly sweet melody rose and fell in breathtakingly beautiful cadences.

            Maxi calmed as the song reverberated around in his chest. The combination of the humming and the beating of his two hearts did what no words could. Her sobs ceased.

            He continued to hum, rocking her back and forth. Her body relaxed. After a few more minutes of the song, her head lolled to the side in sleep. His humming stopped and he carried her back to her room.

            Carefully, he picked his way around the scattered books, toys, papers and crayons. He gently laid her down and pulled the green covers over her. Brushing her hair to the side, he kissed her forehead.

            The Doctor straightened up and looked down at her sleeping form. He had often wondered who she really was. Who her parents had been. The Nurse hadn't said, hadn't had time.

            He sighed. There was nothing he could do about that. He scratched behind his ear and left the room, his hands in his pockets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm uploading all of the chapters I already have done today. After that, I can't say how soon an update will be.


	3. Maxi, Smith, and Jones

**Months later...**

            "Maxi!" The Doctor shouted. "Come here, quick!"

            "What?" She ran into the control room. "What is it?"

            "Come and look at this." He waved her over to the screen he was standing in front of. "What's wrong with this picture?"

            Her almost-five year old face pinched in concentration. "Ummmm...There shouldn't be those lights around the hospital." She pointed at the bright lines surrounding the building on the screen.

            "Very good!" The Doctor sounded impressed. "You're a quick learner." Maxi grinned.

            "What are they?" She asked.

            "Those are plasma coils. What I don't know is what they're doing there." He glanced at her. "You want to go find out?" She smiled and nodded.

            "Let's go!" She jumped in the air. He laughed.

 

            The Doctor was lying in a hospital bed in stripped pajamas. Maxi was crouched on the floor beside the bed coloring in a book one of the nurses had given her.

            The curtain was pushed aside and an elderly man with a group of what seemed to be students was standing around the bed. The man spoke.

            "A very good morning to you, Mr. Smith. How are you today?"

            "Oh, not so bad. Still a bit, you know, blah." The Doctor responded.

            The man spoke to the group. "John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains. Jones, why don't you see what you can find?" The last question was directed at a dark-skinned woman standing next to the man. "Amaze me."

            "That wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it?" The woman, Martha Jones, asked the Doctor.

            "Sorry?" His face betrayed the confusion he felt.

            "On Chancellor Street this morning." Martha explained. "You came up to me and took your tie off."

            "Really?" The Doctor asked in disbelief. "What did I do that for?" Maxi giggled. He looked down at her and wiggled his eyebrows.

            "I don't know, you just did."

            "Wasn't me. I've been here, in bed. Ask the nurses." Maxi laughed this time.

            "Well, it sure looked like you. Have you got a brother?" Martha's brain scrambled for an explanation.

            "No, not anymore. Just me."

            "And me!" Maxi exclaimed, jumping up onto the bed. The Doctor caught her and set her down next to him, opposite Martha.

            "Yes, and you." He ruffled her hair. Martha noticed it was held back by a purple plastic headband.

            "Who's this?" She asked, gesturing at Maxi.

            "This is my daughter, Maxima." Maxi smiled and waved at her name.

            "Ms. Jones, if you could pick it up a little?" The man standing next to the bed interrupted.

            "Sorry, sir." Martha placed the stethoscopes ear buds in her ear and placed the circle on his chest, listening.

            There was a beating, but it sounded doubled, almost like he had...two hearts. She looked up at him and he smirked at her. Maxi giggled again. Martha moved the circle to the other side of his chest and, sure enough, there was another heart beating.

            "I weep for the future. Ms. Jones, are you having trouble locating the heart?" Martha looked at the man and shook her head. "Well?" He asked.

            Martha stood up. "I don't know, stomach cramps?"

            "Stomach cramps are a symptom, not a diagnosis. And you rather failed basic procedure by failing to check the patient's chart." The man walked to the foot of the bed and grabbed the clipboard hanging there. There was a spark of electricity. The man dropped the clipboard on the bed and let out a soft exclamation of pain.

            "That happened to me this morning." Martha said.

            "And me, on the door." Someone else in the group chimed in.

            "And me, in the lift."

            "Well, it's only to be expected. There's a lightning storm building and lightning is a form of static electricity, as first proven by...anyone?"

            "Benjamin Franklin." The Doctor interjected.

            "Very good, Mr. Smith."

            "I remember that day. I got rope burns off that kite. And I got soaked. And then, I got electrocuted!" The Doctor smiled at the man.

            "Quite." The man gave him a strange look. "Moving on."

            The Doctor gave Maxi a look and she burst out laughing. As the group left, they heard the man say to a passing nurse, "I think a visit from psychiatric."

            Martha glanced back at the pair. The Doctor smiled at her.

            "I think we confused her." He whispered to Maxi.

            "I think so, too." She whispered back.

 

            It had started raining. At first, the Doctor didn't think anything of it. Then Maxi had pointed out the window and said, "Daddy, the rain's going up!" He had spun around to see so fast he was pretty sure he had given himself whiplash.

            "Now that's odd." He said. He stepped up to the window and looked down. "Maxi, I think we're about to find out what those plasma coils are doing here." As he spoke, the building shook.

            He was knocked off his feet by the motion. He fell backwards onto the bed. Maxi curled into a ball. She covered her ears as screams sounded through the hospital and screwed her eyes shut.

            "What was that, Daddy?" She climbed onto the bed next to him after it had stopped. She was trembling slightly.

            "I don't know." He pushed himself off the bed and walked over to the window. Maxi came over to his side. He picked her up and together, they looked out of the window at the moonscape.

            "That's different." Maxi commented. The Doctor laughed.

            "Yes, it certainly is." He was glad she had calmed herself down.

            He set her down and pulled the curtain around his bed just as Martha ran into the room with another woman. He heard them talking.

            "It's real. It's really real. We're on the bloody moon." Martha said.

            The Doctor assumed that she had gone to open a window because the other woman said, "Don't. You'll let out all the air." He heard Maxi chuckle softly.

            "Well, it's not as if they're air tight. The air should have leaked out already."

            "Excellent point." He pushed the curtain aside, now dressed in his customary suit. "Brilliant, in fact. What was your name?"

            "Martha."

            "And it was Jones, wasn’t it?" She nodded. The Doctor vaulted over to the window and inspected it. "So, the question is, how are we breathing?"

            "But we can't be." The other woman sounded panicked.

            "Yes, but obviously we are, so don't waste my time." Maxi stifled a giggle. He grinned at her and said, " _Humans_ ," in Gallifreyan. " _Do you want to take over, or should I?_ "

" _Can I?_ " She asked excitedly. He nodded. She switched back to English. "Miss Jones," she glanced at her father for confirmation who grinned. "Is there a balcony?"

            "Yeah, over by the patient lounge." Martha grinned at the 'Miss Jones'. "And please, call me Martha."

            Maxi hopped and clapped her hands in excitement. "Let's go outside!" She grabbed the Doctor's hand and dragged him towards the door.

            "I'm coming with you." Martha sounded determined.

            "We might die." The Doctor pointed out.

            "So you're letting your four year old daughter go?"

            "Good point." He said with a smile. Maxi dragged him towards the balcony. "Not her." He said as he passed the other woman. "She'll just slow us down." Martha looked at her and shrugged, then followed the Doctor.

            "Here we are." She said as she caught up with the pair.

            "Moment of truth." He looked at her, then at Maxi. He threw open the doors.

            Nothing happened. The trio walked out onto the balcony as if they were on Earth. The Doctor picked Maxi up and set her on the stone ledge surrounding it. She couldn't see over it.

            "This is incredible." Martha breathed. "How many people want to go to the moon?"

            "And here we are, standing in the Earthlight." The Doctor walked around on the balcony, inspecting it. Maxi walked around the edge of the balcony wit her arms stuck out for balance.

            "Mr. Smith, how is this possible?"

            "It's not 'Mr. Smith'." He told her.

            "Then what is it?"

            "The Doctor."

            "Me too, if I ever pass my exams. So it's Dr. Smith, then?" Martha looked at him. Maxi grinned at her father over Martha's shoulder.

            "No, just...the Doctor."

            "Maxi, what's your daddy's name?" Martha said, turning around.

            "The Doctor." Maxi told her. She jumped off the edge and did a front flip before landing on her feet. She stuck her arms out like a gymnast. The Doctor grinned.

            "What, people call you 'the Doctor'?" She turned back to face him.

            "Yes." He gave her a strange look.

            "Well, I'm not. As far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title."

            "He has. He is a life-saver." Maxi protested.

            "What?" Martha spun around.

            "A doctor is a life-saver. He is a doctor."

            "Maxi, on Earth, a doctor is a medicine man. Remember?" The Doctor stooped down and picked up a small rock. "Now, if we're breathing, that must mean, that there is some kind of..." He straightened up and threw the rock out onto the moon. It hit something and blue ripples appeared in midair. "Force field." He finished.

            "Who is it, Daddy?"

            "I'm betting that's them." He said as cylindrical ships flew overhead.

            "What are they?" Martha asked.

            "Judoon." The Doctor said with obvious disgust in his voice.

            Maxi made a noise of disappointment. "I was hoping it was someone interesting." She pouted a little. He nodded in agreement.

 

            "But I don't understand, what are the Judoon?" Martha asked as the trio headed for the lobby.

            "The Judoon are police." Maxi informed her.

            "Well, police for hire. Good job though, Maxi. Remembering your lessons." The child grinned at the compliment. "Their basically just thugs for hire."

            "What do they want with us? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"

            "No. But that's good. Good thinking. No, the moon's neutral territory. Under galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction on Earth."

            "Which means they're after some one." Maxi said. _"They need the neutrality of the moon."_ This last sentence was said in Gallifreyan.

            "English, Maxi." The Doctor directed her. "Oh, look at that. You've got a little shop!" He looked at Martha with a smile on his face. "I like a little shop."

            "Forget the shop for a minute. What do they want?"

            As Martha spoke, the Judoon walked through the doors. One removed its helmet to reveal a rhino-like head.

            "Bo! Sco! Fo! Do! No! Kro! Blo! Co! Sho! Ro!" It said.

            A man stepped forward. "On behalf of the human race, we welcome you in peace." The Judoon pinned him against the wall. It held something up to his mouth. "No, please, don't hurt me. I was just trying to help. P-please, don't hurt me."

            The pleas played back out of it. The Judoon plugged the thing into his chest.

            "Language assimilated. Designation: Earth English. You will be catalogued." It shined a light into the man's face and said, "Category: Human." It drew a black X on the man's hand.

            "They're making a catalogue, which means their looking for something that's not human, which is bad news for us, Maxi."

            "What do you mean?" Both of them looked at Martha like she was a three year old who had just said the sky is red. "Oh, come on. You mean..." The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her.

            "Maxi, we're going to find you a place to hide. I don't want anything to happen to you."

            "But Daddy!" The little girl protested.

            "No buts. Martha, where can we hide her?"

            "The pediatric area is just down the hall. I'm sure there are nurses there who will make sure she stays put."

            "Brilliant. Off we go then." The Doctor picked up Maxi and headed back down the hall towards the pediatric area.

            "Daddy! I want to help!"

            "And I don't want you getting hurt. End of discussion." He set her down in a chair. "Nurse." One ran over to him. "Make sure this child doesn't leave this room." She nodded.

            "But Daddy, what about you? What if you don't come back?" Maxi tugged on his pant leg.

            "Don't worry, sweetie. I'll be back Just you watch." He knelt down in front of her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Now, if the Judoon come cataloguing, I want you to hide in the closet over there." He nodded at the closet behind her. "Do not let them scan you, alright?"

            Maxi's lower lip sagged but she nodded. "Ok, Daddy." They embraced and the Doctor stood up.

            "I'll see you later, Maxi."

            "See you later." Then he left with Martha behind him.

            "What's going to happen to her?" Martha asked.

            "Nothing. The Judoon should ignore this area. They're not looking for a child."

            "And how do you know that?"

            "They were scanning adults. Not children. Therefore, they aren't looking for a child. Any more questions?"

            "Yes. How old is Maxi?"

            "Four." The Doctor told her.

            "She's four and you're just going to let her alone with strangers?"

            "She's almost five." He turned a corner. "And I don't have any where else to put her right now."

            "Where's her mother? If you don't mind me asking." Martha quickly covered.

            "Dead."

            "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." The Doctor shrugged. "What was her name?"

            "I've no idea."

            "She's your daughter and you don't know who her mother was?" Martha asked in disbelief.

            "Oh. Oh, no. No. She's not my biological daughter. No. I guess you could say that she's adopted." He pushed open a door and saw a computer. "Now, that will be helpful."

            "What do you mean, you 'guess' she's adopted?"

            "Well, I suppose that it's never been legally finalized. I should do that." His nose crinkled. "I really should do that. The Shadow Proclamation won’t recognize the relationship otherwise." He ran his fingers through his hair.

            He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began fiddling with it and the computer.

            "What are you looking for?"

            "Some one who checked in in the last week or so with strange symptoms."

            "I'll go ask Mr. Stoker. Maybe he knows."

            The Doctor nodded in acknowledgment, intent on searching the computer.

 

            Back in the pediatric unit, Maxi sat in the chair the Doctor had put her in. She stared at the doorway like a puppy waiting for its master to come home. The nurse he had spoken to knelt down next to her.

            "Why don't you come over with the other kids and play?" She asked. "We've got lots of fun toys and games. I'm sure your Daddy will be fine."

            ""But...but what if he doesn't come back?" The nurse was shocked at the question.

            "He will." She started to say 'Don't worry' but before she could, the child began to hyperventilate. "Hey, calm down. He'll come back." The nurse tried to calm her down but her breathing just quickened more.

            The nurse stood up and ran around the room, trying to find a paper bag for Maxi. She recognized the signs of a panic attack. When she finally found one and got back, however, Maxi had started to cry. The nurse placed the bag over her mouth and rubbed her back, trying to fend off the attack. It had no effect.

            Realizing she had no other choice, the nurse picked Maxi up and sprinted off in the direction her father had gone.

            She ran as fast as she could. The panic radiated off Maxi and was almost palpable in the air. Finally, the Doctor came around a corner, Martha right behind him.

            "Sir, she's panicking!" He turned to see the nurse sprinting down the hall with Maxi in her arms.

            "What's wrong?" At the sound of his voice, Maxi turned in the nurse's arms. The Doctor's eyes widened as he saw her face was covered in tears and she wasn't breathing properly. He grabbed the small child from the nurse and bounced up and down with her.

            Martha and the nurse watched in shock as Maxi began to sob into his shoulder.

            "Shhh shhh shhh." The Doctor rubbed her back. "Calm down, Maxi. No reason to panic."

            "Mr. Smith! I hate to interrupt but we've got company!" Martha yelled as the Slab that had been chasing them ran around the corner.

            "Right!" Maxi tried to look over his shoulder as he and Martha ran from it but he pushed her face down. He didn't want the panic attack to come back.

            The Slab chased them down the hall. The Doctor turned into the radiology department. He set Maxi down and began pulled out his screwdriver. He sealed the door with it and began fiddling with the x-ray machine.

            "Martha, when I give the word, hit the button to start it up!"

            "Which button is it?"

            "Figure it out!" The Doctor said impatiently. Maxi stood by the door and watched, panic still in her eyes. "Maxi, get behind me." He told her when he noticed where she was.

            She scrambled behind him and grabbed his leg as the Slab began beating on the door. Her fingers dug into his pant-leg.

            "Now!" The Doctor yelled as it crashed through.

            Martha hit the big yellow button and there was a flash of light. She shielded her eyes as the Doctor and Maxi's bones were illuminated. The Slab fell to the floor.

            "What did you do?" Martha asked through the glass.

            "Increased the radiation by 500%. Killed him dead." Maxi looked at him with a strange expression on her face.

            "But isn't that going to kill you too?"

            "No, it's only roentgen radiation. We used to play with roentgen blocks in the nursery. Isn't that right, Maxi?"

            "Yep." The little redhead said. She still looked a little shaken.

            "It's safe to come out now." The Doctor said to Martha. "We've absorbed it all, Maxi and I. Just need to expel it now." He bounced on the balls of his feet. "Remember how to do that, Maxi?"

            "Uh-huh." She began to bounce as well.

            "If I can concentrate, focus it into one thing; like my left shoe." He rotated his foot and hopped up and down on the other.

            Maxi began shaking her head. She pulled her headband off and tossed it in the garbage.

            It took the Doctor a bit longer. "Out, out, out." He bounced over to the garbage, flicking his foot. "Itches, itches! Ah, ah!" He pulled the shoe off and threw it in the can. Maxi laughed at the silliness of her father.

            "You're completely mad." Martha stared at him.

            "You're right. I look daft with one shoe." He pulled his other shoe off. It followed the first into the can. "Barefoot on the moon!"

            Maxi dragged a stool over to the x-ray machine and jumped up on it.

            "What is it?" Martha asked, kneeling next to the Slab.

            "Basic slave drone. See?" He poked it. "Solid leather, all the way through." Maxi came up beside him and poked him with the busted up remains of his sonic screwdriver.

            "You need a new one, Daddy."

            "Oh, my sonic screwdriver."

            "But what is it doing here?" Martha was still talking about the Slab.

            "Burned out my sonic screwdriver." He whined.

            "But that woman, she was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood."

            "I love my sonic screwdriver."

            "Doctor!" He threw it over his shoulder. It clattered to the ground behind him.

            "You called me 'Doctor'." He smiled. "Now come on, you." He turned and picked Maxi up. "We are going to find you a place to hide."

            "No! I wanna come with you!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and held tight.

            "Maxi, I want you to come with me too but I can't let anything happen to you."

            "Hold on, Doctor." Martha stopped him. "Don't you want to know what triggered the panic attack?"

            "I know what triggered it." He replied.

            "Than what was it?" She challenged him.

            "Think about it, Martha. Her parents were killed when she was an infant. They gave her to a friend of theirs that she didn’t know. What do you think it was?" The Doctor's tone made her think it should be obvious. Then it hit her.

            "Oh." She said lamely.

            "Yep." He nodded his head.

            "So why are you going to leave her again?" He sighed and turned away. He carried Maxi into the side room Martha had been in. "You know what will happen. She'll just have another panic attack."

            He stopped and turned to face her. "What am I supposed to do, Martha? I can't let anything happen to her."

            "Don't leave me, Daddy!" Maxi still had her arms around his neck. It didn't appear that she was planning on letting go anytime soon.

            "Maxi..." He went to put her down.

            "No!"

            "Maxima." The name was followed by several syllables that Martha could neither remember nor pronounce. He reached behind his head and grabbed her wrists, forcing her to let go of his neck. He gently set her down on the ground.

            "Doctor..." Martha tried to interject.

            "This isn't up for discussion." The Doctor shot her a look before turning his attention back to Maxi. "Listen to me, Maxi. I want you to stay in here. Lock the door behind me." She started to protest but he cut her off. "No, listen. I know you don't like being left alone but I couldn't stand it if you were hurt. If the Judoon come in here, hide under the desk. If they don't see you, they won't break into here."

            "But what if...what if you don't come back?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper. She looked down at the floor.

            "Hey, look at me." He placed a hand under her chin and gently raised her head. "I will come back. I promise you, I _will_ come back and get you. Ok?"

            She nodded. "Ok."

            "Brilliant." He smiled at his daughter. He kissed her forehead. "I love you, Maxi."

            "Love you too, Daddy."

            "Right." He jumped up. "Allons-y, Martha!" He ran out of the x-ray room. Martha glanced at Maxi before following. She heard the lock click behind her.

 

            Maxi huddled underneath the desk in the x-ray control room. She could hear the Judoon thundering past, heading down the hall in the same direction her father had gone.

            It was starting to get hard to breath in the room. Maxi drew in a shuddering breath. She felt panic rising in her throat but she beat it down by humming a few bars of the lullaby her father sang for her.

            The minutes dragged by, each seeming like an eternity. With every breath it became harder and harder to breath. The room swam before her eyes as her brain registered the lack of oxygen.

            Finally, just as she was about to pass out, she heard the Judoon running past, leaving. Panic surged up inside her again as bolts of electricity crackled in the air. Then, as suddenly as the bolts had started, they stopped.

            There was a crack of thunder, like when the hospital had been transported to the moon. Maxi's eyes closed as she surrendered to the darkness.

 

            Martha stumbled out of the hospital and into the arm of her waiting sister. She could vaguely hear Tish bombarding her with questions but her mind was elsewhere. Across the street, she saw the Doctor carrying Maxi into a blue box. She glanced back at her sister and heard a strange whirring noise. When she looked back, the box was gone.

 

            Later that day, at her little brother Leo’s birthday party, Annalise was raising a fuss over Martha’s story of going to the moon. She stomped out onto the street.

            “I’m not going to stay in there and be insulted.”

            “She didn’t mean it, sweetheart!” Martha’s father tried to tell Annalise. “She was just saying you look healthy.”

            “No, I did not, I said ‘Orange’.” Her mother interrupted.

            “Clyde, that woman is disrespecting me. She’s never liked me.” Annalise said.

            “Oh, I can’t think why, after you stole my husband.” There was a distinctive bite to Mrs. Jones’s words.

            “I was seduced, I’m entirely innocent. Tell her, babe.” Annalise whined.

            “And then she had to go at Martha and practically accuse her of making the whole thing up.”

            “Mom, I don’t mind, just leave it!” Martha tried to stop the argument.

            “Oh, ‘I’ve been to the moon’, as if.” Annalise mocked Martha. “They were drugged. It said so on the news.”

            “Since when do you watch the news? You can’t handle Quizmania.”

            “Annalise started it. She did, I heard her.” Tish said from beside Martha.

            “Tish, don’t make it worse.” Leo told her.

            “Come off it, Leo. What did she buy you? Soap? A 75 pent soap?”

            “Oh, I’m never talking to your family again!” Annalise stormed off.

            Both Martha’s mother and father started yelling at the same time. Her father followed Annalise. Leo followed their father. Their mother stormed off in the opposite direction. Tish followed her. Martha stood on the sidewalk and watched sadly.

            Then, something across the street caught her eye. The Doctor was leaning against a building. He smirked at her and turned to walk into the alleyway behind him. Martha hurried over.

            She rounded the corner and saw the mysterious blue box the Doctor had disappeared into earlier. He was leaning against it.

            “I went to the moon today.” Martha said. She had started to believe the ‘drugging’story on the news.

            “Bit more peaceful than down here.” The Doctor commented. Maxi popped her head out of the box at the sound of voices.

            “Hi, Martha!” She said cheerfully.

            “Hey, Maxi.” Martha gave the girl a little wave. She enthusiastically waved back.

            “You never even told me who you are.” Martha pointed out as she walked towards them.

            “The Doctor.”

            “But what sort of species? It’s not every day I get to ask that.” She gave a little smile.

            “I’m a Time Lord.” He told her.

            “Me too!” Maxi exclaimed from behind him. He turned and gave her a quick smile before facing Martha again.

            “Right.” Martha dragged out the word a little. “Not pompous at all, then.”

            The Doctor ignored the comment. “I just thought, since you saved my life,” he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a device like the one he had earlier, “and I’ve got a brand new sonic screwdriver that needs rope testing, you might fancy a trip.”

            “What, into space?”

            “Yeah! It’s lots of fun.” Maxi informed her.

            “But I can’t. I’ve got exams; I’ve got things to do. I‘ve got to go into town Thursday and pay the rent, my family’s going mad-“

            The Doctor interrupted her. “If it helps, I can travel in time as well.”

            “Yeah, ok.” Martha clearly didn’t believe him.

            “I can.”

            “Come on now. That is going to far.”

            “I’ll prove it.” He turned and walked into the box. Maxi hopped out and stood by Martha.

            “This is the best part.” She whispered as the light on top of the box lit up and it faded away with the most beautiful sound Martha had ever heard.

            Martha walked forward to where moments ago, the blue box had been. She stuck her hand in the air, not believing what her eyes were telling her.

            The noise sounded again. Maxi grabbed Martha’s hand and pulled her back as the box faded into existence again.

            The Doctor stepped out, holding his tie in his hand. “Told you.”

            “No but…” Martha stuttered a little. “But that was this morning. But… did you…” She took a deep breath. “Oh my God, you can travel in time!” He put his tie back on, watching Martha puzzle it out with an amused smirk on his face. Maxi went and stood beside him, leaning on his leg. “But hold on, if you could see me this morning, why didn’t you tell me not to go into work?”

            “Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden.” The Doctor said seriously. He placed one hand on Maxi’s head. “Except for cheep tricks.” He added after a moment.

            “And that’s your space ship?” Martha asked, nodding her head at the box behind him.

            “It’s called the TARDIS.” He told her.

            “That stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space.” Maxi said.

            Martha reached out and put a hand on the TARDIS. “Your space ship is made of wood.” She observed. “Well, there’s not much room. We’ll be a bit intimate.”

            He pushed the door open and said, “Take a look.” Maxi grinned.

            Martha walked in and looked around in awe, taking it in. The Doctor followed, standing next to a railing just inside the entrance.

            “No, no, no.” Martha ran back outside and looked at it again. Maxi was still out there. She smirked at Martha’s bewilderment. “But it’s a box!” Martha ran around it. “But it’s huge!” She came back to the doorway and asked the Doctor, “How does it do that? It’s wood. It’s a box with that room just…crammed in.” She walked back inside, Maxi following her. “It’s bigger on the inside.”

            The Doctor mouthed the last statement along with her, making Maxi laugh. “Is it? Hadn’t noticed.” He said, only slightly condescending. He closed the door. Martha stood where she was, jaw on the floor.

            The Doctor took off his overcoat and threw it on a diagonal support beam next to Martha.

            “Right then, let’s get going!” The Doctor said eagerly. Maxi poked Martha in the back, snapping the woman out of her daze. She walked up and stood next to her father by the consul.

            “But, is there a crew, like a navigator and stuff? Where is everyone?” Martha was facing away from the Doctor at this point and, as such, missed Maxi frantically shaking her head at her.

            “Just me and Maxi.” He busied himself with the controls.

            “Just the two of you? All on your own?” Martha sounded bewildered.

            “We-ell, sometimes I have guests. I mean, friends. Friends, travelling along side me. I had, it was just a few years ago, just before I found Maxi, friend of mine. Rose, her name’s Rose. And we were together. Anyway…” He pulled a computer screen over to him.

            “Where is she now?” Martha asked.

            “With her family, happy. She’s fine.” The Doctor reassured Martha. Maxi suddenly looked guilty but neither adult noticed. “Not that you’re replacing her.” He pointed at Martha.

            “Never said I was.”

            “Just one trip, to say thanks. You get one trip, then back home.” Martha nodded. “I’d rather it just be me and Maxi.”

            Martha had a strange look on her face. “Well, you’re the one that kissed me.”

            Maxi burst out laughing, guilty look gone. She hadn’t heard about this.

            “That was a genetic transfer.” He glared at Martha.

            “And if you will wear a tight suit…” She said suggestively.

            “Now don’t!”

            “And then travel all across the universe, just to ask me on a date.”

            “Stop it.” The Doctor looked slightly uncomfortable. Maxi laughed harder.

            “For the record,” Martha said, all traces of teasing gone from her voice, “I’m not remotely interested. I only go for humans.”

            “Good.” He looked relieved.

            Maxi’s face was suddenly split in a huge yawn. The Doctor noticed.

            “First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll head off. For the moment though, I think we should all get some sleep. It’s been a long day.” He stooped to pick Maxi up on his way past as he walked towards the back of the TARDIS. She laid her head on his shoulder sleepily. “Follow me, Martha. There’s a room back here you can use.”

            “Alright.” She followed him through an arch into a hallway.

            “Here you go.” He pointed at a nondescript door on his way past it. “The TARDIS should have some pajamas that will fit you inside.”

            “Good night, Mr. Smith.”

            “Good night, Ms. Jones.” He carried Maxi to a blue door covered in concentric circles filled with lines and arcs of black paint. Martha briefly wondered what they were but dismissed it. It was the door to a child’s room, after all.

            She entered the room the Doctor had given her for the night and looked around. It was painted a plain white, and was virtually empty, other than the bed. The sheets and blankets on the bed were also white.

            As she looked around, though, the room changed color. The walls became Martha’s favorite shade of green and the bed covers became striped, just like the ones back in her flat. She blinked in surprise.

            She walked over to the closet and opened it. Inside, there was a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, just like what she wore to bed at home. She checked and they were both in her size. For some reason, she wasn’t very surprised.

 

 

 

            A scream rent through the TARDIS. Martha sat bolt upright at the sound. It had come from just down the hall.

            She swung her legs over the side of the bed. A small shiver went through her body as her feet touched the bare floor. She ignored it and stepped out of the room.

            The Doctor flew down the hall. He was wearing a pair of blue flannel pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt. His hair was tousled, like he had been tossing and turning.

            He pulled open the door to Maxi’s room. Martha padded in after him and saw Maxi tangled up in her blankets. The Doctor knelt by her bed and shook her shoulder.

            “No! No!” She cried. Her arms flung around and struck the Doctor’s cheek. He didn’t even blink as he tried to wake her.

            “Maxi.” His voice was calming as he shook her shoulder with more force.

            She screamed again and her eyes flew open. The Doctor stroked her hair, pushing it behind her ear. Tears streamed down her face and she started to shake, her breathing quickening, just like before, at the hospital.

            The Doctor picked her up and bounced her up and down. As the panic began to set in, he started humming. Martha stood in awe of the melody he hummed.

            It was the most beautiful song she had ever heard. She knew she could never replicate it, no matter how hard she tried. It rose and fell so quickly, the notes were only there long enough to leave an imprint in her memory.

            It’s haunting sound brought tears to Martha’s eyes and calmed Maxi. Before he had been humming for even a minute, she was quietly sitting in his arms.

            “It’s alright, Maxi.” He sat down on the bed. “Just a nightmare, just like all the others.”

            “Others?” Martha asked. The Doctor rubbed Maxi’s back and rocked back and forth with her. Martha sat next to him.

            “Yes, others. She gets nightmares like this three, four times a week.” He stood up and paced back and forth with the small child pressed to his chest.

            “They’re always the same.” Maxi mumbled. “Only the thing changes.”

            “What was it this time?” He asked her. “Dalek or Cybermen?” Martha knew what he meant by ‘Cybermen’, she had seen them when Canary Wharf was attacked, but the term Dalek was new to her.

            “Neither.” His eyebrows met in confusion.

            “What was it, then?”

            “A man.” She sat up in his arms, looking at him head-on. “A blonde man, like us.”

            “Like us?” The Doctor asked.

            “Yeah. Like us. Not like humans.” Maxi shook her head. “He was crazy, and…and he…he kept talking about this…" She said something Martha couldn't understand but she made a drumming motion. "Sound that only he could hear." She continued in English after the Doctor raised an eyebrow at her and glanced at Maxi. "And he could shoot lightning out of his fingers.” She held out her hands and extended her fingers, probably mimicking the actions of the man in her dream.

            “Like the Emperor in Star Wars?” Martha asked. Maxi nodded.

            “But it’s always been a Cyberman or a Dalek. Was everything else the same?”

            “Yes. It was the same tunnel, same everything else. Just the thing chasing us was different.”

            “That’s weird.” The Doctor rubbed his eyes with one hand. “That’s very weird. In months, it was only those two, those two, always. So why is it changing now?” Maxi just shrugged.

            "She's been having nightmares for months and you never wondered if something was wrong?" Martha was still stuck on that.

            "Of course I wondered. What kind of father do you think I am?" He protested defensively.

            "I thought you weren't a father." She pointed out.

            "Adoptive father, then, if you want to be technical." He almost rolled his eyes. Maxi yawned loudly. “Oh, back to bed, young lady.” He stooped and picked her up. He held her as he crossed the room to her bed, where he laid her down. The little girl closed her eyes as he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

            The Doctor turned and pointed at the door. He tiptoed out of the room, Martha following. He shut the door behind them.

            He ran his fingers through his hair once they were outside and whispered, "I just wish I knew what triggered them. They seem random. It's not after a particularly dangerous trip, it's not after watching a scary movie, it's not anything I can figure out."

            "Maybe I can help." Martha suggested, in an equally soft voice. "I had to take a psychology course at the beginning of uni. There was something on nightmares." She paused. "I think it was something about subconscious fears, or repressed memories."

            "Yes, yes. Repressed memories can cause nightmares later in life, I know. I just can't think what she would be-oh!" He cut himself off. "Oh! Ohhh, yes! Of course!”

            “What?” She asked. “What would she be-oh?” She said, mimicking him.

            “Think about it.” He turned to face her, holding his hand out like an Italian cook. “Maxi was brought to me by her nurse, after they escaped from the Time War.”

            “Sorry, the what?” Martha interrupted.

            “The Time War.” The Doctor waved off her question. “Maybe I’ll tell you about it later.” He shook his head and continued. “She was just an infant but there may be hints of memory. It would have been traumatic.”

            “So, her nightmares are like the repressed infant memories of the War?” He waved his head side to side, a thoughtful grimace on his face.

            “But, see, only the Daleks were there during the War. That wouldn’t explain the Cybermen or this new one, the…man.” He passed his hand over his chin. “I have no idea.” He said finally. “I hate not knowing.”

            “You’ll figure it out, I’m sure.” Martha patted him on the arm. “I’m going back to bed.”

            “Yes, you’ll need your strength tomorrow. I’ve got a nice trip planned. I think you’ll like it.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, good night, Martha Jones.”

            “Good night, Doctor.” She turned and went back to her room. She climbed under the covers, laying back. The TARDIS played a soft lullaby, one she recognized from her childhood. She quickly fell back asleep.

 

            After Martha left, the Doctor cracked open Maxi’s door. He looked at her sleeping form, thinking. He had no idea what was causing the nightmares and it was driving him nuts.

            ‘You could just ask.’ The TARDIS said in his head.

            “Oh, so you know what’s going on with her and you didn’t think to mention it to me?” He whispered angrily.

            ‘She’s been picking up on residual time energy from a small leak in my core. Her nightmares are a combination of horrors from your, and her, pasts and futures.’ He gasped.

            “So how am I supposed to stop it?” He fumed for a moment. “I hate not knowing.”

            ‘I don’t know of any way to stop it.’

            “Well, fat lot of help you are.” The TARDIS conveyed feelings of apology. “Oh, it’s alright, old girl.” He cocked his head to the side. “I just wish I could stop them. I hate for her to have to go through this.”

            ‘Don’t worry about her. She’s tough. After all, she was raised by you.’ He laughed and shut her door. He went back to the control room and tinkered with the TARDIS core, trying to find the leak and patch it.

            There was no leak.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how long this will be, I'll update as often as I can and modify as many episodes as I can.


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